An Unlikely Hero
by Bubblegum Kisses
Summary: The Winchesters are back on the road and on the way they run into a familiar face. Lola.With emotions running high, burning questions and a deadly secret, the spirit haunting the walls of an abandoned hosiptal, is the least of thier worries.
1. Chapter 1

**An unlikely Hero**

**Author: Angelkisses87and Bubblegumthai**

**Disclaimers: I don't own Supernatural or its characters. Maggie is my original character creation and Lola belongs to bubblegumthai.**

**Author's note: This is a collaboration I co wrote with my best mate bubblegumthai. A follow on from Break the habit of a lifetime.**

**We had an awesome time writing this together throwing around ideas, sometimes hilariously ridiculous and others heartbreaking.**

**We hope you enjoy reading this as much as we enjoyed writing it.**

Chapter One

"Are we nearly there yet?"

Sam and Dean raised their eyebrows at Maggie's whine from the back seat. After several seconds, Sam sighed realising that Dean was far too engrossed in being back behind the wheel of his precious Impala to provide an answer,

"We've got another ten miles to go until we get to the hospital."

"Man I could kill for a burger right now. A big juicy burger with extra onions, a side of fries, covered in mayonnaise!" Maggie fantasized, licking her lips whilst stretched out across the back seat, casually, head leaning against the window. Maggie's fantasies of food are cut short as Dean slammed on the breaks, hurtling her against the backs of the front seats, "What the…? Dean…what…?" Maggie stopped as she pulled herself up, noticing the same thing that had distracted Dean; Lola's black pick-up.

Sam looked at Maggie in the rear-view mirror, giving one another a knowing smile. They held on for dear life as Dean spun the car around to pull into the same parking lot as Lola's truck.

Slamming the car door behind him, Dean climbed out of the car, face like thunder and stormed towards Lola, who stood, rummaging beneath the bonnet,

"Oh, the tension…" Maggie remarked with a smirk. Sam laughed in agreement.

Dean reached out, grabbing Lola's bare arm, smudged with car grease, pulling her out from beneath the hood of the truck. He spun her around to look him dead in the eyes,

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!" He demanded,

"Dean…what're you doing here?"

"What," He began, slowly and carefully, his teeth gritted, "did you do?"

Lola sighed, looking down at her dusty feet. She knew full well what he was asking and it made it impossible for her to pull her gaze away from the floor with guilt,

"Damn it Lola! Answer me!"

"I did what I had to do." She said simply with a shrug, "I saw how you handled Maggie dying and I didn't want you to have to live out your last few days in a drunken stupor. And I couldn't bare the thought of Sam being alone." Dean simply stood there, shocked and hurt that she'd mentioned his impending death so casually, he furrowed his brow, opening his mouth to ask how she knew, though she beat him to it; "That's right Dean. I know. I had to hear it from a damn demon!" Her voice rising with emotion,

"You're so stupid. How could you throw your life away for someone you hardly know?"

"I didn't do it for Maggie, I did it for you."

"I know. That's what I meant."

Lola stared back at him in disbelief before giving him a withering look that Dean had seen many a time from Sam, his long suffering brother; a bitter huff of a laugh, with the curl of her lip and a shake of her head.

Maggie suddenly approached, seemingly from nowhere, giving Lola a hug that was not returned,

"Hey Lola." She beamed. Dean stood back, shaking his head by the intervention,

"Hi." Lola replied dryly, her eyes fixed coldly upon Dean over Maggie's shoulder. Sam also approached, smiling and trying to lift the tense atmosphere, attempted a joke;

"Jeeze. You guys are like a married couple!"

Maggie was about to laugh until she caught a glimpse of Dean and Lola's expressions, deciding it was better to just purse her lips and hold it back. Sam expelled a breath, looking around awkwardly,

"Phew…tough crowd…" He muttered,

"Sam…bad time…" Dean remarked,

"No, it's okay…" Lola sighed, "I have to finish fixing my truck so I can get the hell out of here. If you're quite finished, of course."

"Actually Lola, we're on the way to a job, we could use your help if you wanna come along?" Maggie piped up, glancing at Sam with a wicked smirk before looking at Dean with a sweet and innocent smile, which was returned, by a look that said 'I hate you',

"Thanks all the same, but Dean here's made it more than obvious that I'm just not welcome."

"As much as Dean likes to think it, he's not the boss of everything…we think you should come, right Sam?"

"Yeah…c'mon! It'll be good to have you around again. You could save our butts again!"

"Please Lola! I need a girl around! I've been stuck in this testosterone-filled car for three weeks damn it!"

"Just say yes and they'll shut up." Dean muttered as he pushed past her, stalking back to the car,

"See!" Sam exclaimed, pointing at Dean, "You DO have his approval!"

Lola reluctantly nodded her head in defeat,

"Alright then…"

"Awesome!" Maggie beamed in victory.

Lola leaned forwards from the back of the car, her hair falling down on either side of her face, irritating Dean. He made a big show of flailing his hand to swipe the curls away, spluttering dramatically as he did so,

"Oh pipe down, you woman!" Lola snapped before turning to Sam, "So what's the story behind this job then?"

"There's this abandoned hospital a few miles down the road. There have been some reports of hauntings going on down there that have suddenly stepped up over the last year. A couple of workmen trying to convert it have disappeared in there…so we're thinking vengeful spirit. It sounds a bit high school legend, but there could be more to it."

"Got a background story on it yet, any ideas on who's spirit it could be?" Lola enquired, sweeping a curl behind her ear, growing weary of Dean's complaining,

"Uh…no…" Sam admittedly sheepishly,

"It was a hospital, y'know!" Dean snapped childishly, "Loads of people died there!"

Maggie rolled her eyes,

"You wouldn't think he was the oldest, would you?"

Lola smiled in agreement,

"What I meant was have any witnesses given a particular description of the spirit?" She snapped,

"That's the thing! Everyone's accounts are different!" Sam cried excitedly, showing the reason he had been labelled a geek by his brother,

"Not a Psiren…" Lola whimpered, "We all know how Dean handles a Psiren."

"Okay…yes…I get it. I hear you. I put a gun to your head. I know. How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?"

Maggie sat up with a start,

"You did what now? Jeeze…and I thought you giving me the silent treatment was bad…"

"At least he hasn't punched either one of you yet!" Sam joined in,

"Look, can we stop with the Dean bashing? I will turn this car around!" Dean snapped, slamming his hands down on the steering wheel in annoyance. The trio fell into silence until suddenly Lola muttered,

"…sorry Dad…"

Both Sam and Maggie tried to stifle their laughter as Dean's frown deepened, narrowing his eyes at them in the mirror before grunting and returning his eyes to the road. Lola slumped back in the car, her arms folding proudly in victory, happy that she'd been the one to get the last word in.

But her victory didn't last long as her head soon began to spin, her eyes losing focus for a few seconds before clearing again. Maggie turned and noticed that Lola's face had drained of all it's colour, savour her lips which were purple. She placed her hand on Lola's shoulder,

"Are you okay?"

This caused Sam and Dean to turn in their seats to look around. Lola just saw Sam's worried expression as she slipped sideways into darkness, slumping against Maggie's chest. Dean quickly pulled the car over before darting to the door behind him and pulling it open,

"Okay…get her outside. She needs air, but make sure that her airway's clear. Don't let her swallow her tongue!" She said calmly as Dean pulled the motionless form of Lola out of the car and onto the grass at the roadside,

"What happened?!" Dean fumed as Maggie knelt beside Lola, feeling her wrist for a pulse before gently touching her forehead; a cold sweat moistened her hand,

"How the hell should I know?! She just went down!"

"Dude…calm down…" Sam reasoned, "She's only passed out. It's probably just the heat."

Maggie nodded in agreement, though she didn't quite believe it herself. Just as quickly as she'd gone out, Lola came back around, opening her eyes slowly with a groan,

"Sam…get me the bottle of water out of the back please…" Maggie said over her shoulder before reaching her arms out to help Lola sit up, "How're you feeling?" She asked softly,

"…fine…" She mumbled, holding her head as she sat up, pushing Dean out of the way, "Why are you all leaning in on me?" She asked with a frown,

"You passed out." Maggie said matter-of-factly,

"Oh did I? It must've been Dean's overwhelming charm!" She remarked sarcastically as she shakily stood up. She walked over to the car, not wanting to talk about what had happened, even though deep down she was freaked out.

The Winchester siblings exchanged concerned looks before following her to the car.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Maggie collapsed wearily onto the dusty motel bed, coughing as she was engulfed in a mustard-yellow cloud,

"How much did we spring for this room again?"

"Too much." Lola replied as she leant in the fridge, "There's a sock in here. A sock. Jesus Christ. Could they of perhaps pretend to clean in here?" She asked, eyeing her suspiciously, "I think I'll sleep in the car."

"I think that's a good idea." Maggie murmured as she lifted the duvet with two fingers tentatively before dropping it in disgust after spying a strange, yellow strain,

"Let's go." Lola said quickly, "But you can ask Dean for the keys."

"No way! You can ask him! He likes you!"

"What gave you that impression? Was it the constant arguing or the fact that he put a gun to my head?"

"He's like a school boy pushing you over in the playground. He likes you." Maggie insisted,

"Okay…y'know what…I'll go…" She huffed, thinking she might get lucky and Sam might answer the door. She was wrong. Dean pulled open their motel room door, still in a sour mood, "Uh…" Lola smiled nervously, "May I please have the car keys? We want to sleep in the car."

"Why?"

"Because I haven't had my tetanus this year."

Dean rolled his eyes and huffed,

"Women…" He muttered, "Let me see." He muttered as he pushed passed her in the doorway to go and look at the room next door. She followed him as he stood in the middle of the room, holding his arms out either side of him, "What's wrong with it?"

"You like it?" Maggie asked, handing him the key, "Good. You sleep here. We'll have you guys' room."

The girls marched into the other room, slinging their bags on to what had been Dean's bed. Sam looked up from his laptop, puzzled,

"What's going on?" He asked,

"Switching digs, Sammy." Maggie stated with a slight tilt of her head. Sam blinked in confusion,

"Uhm…okay…" He answered carefully; snapping shut his laptop and scooping up his bags. Lola dropped onto his bed and grinned,

"MUCH better." She breathed, closing her eyes as Dean stomped back in,

"Hey! I never agreed to swapping!" He growled, as he snatched up his bag from the floor, "And THIS is why I don't like going on hunts with women!"

"Why?" Lola asked with a pout, "Is it because we're charming, beautiful and level and you simply can't live without us?"

"Nooo…" Dean answered carefully, "Because you're annoying, fussy and distracting."

"Wow…I distract you? Dean…I'm flattered!"

Dean rolled his eyes and disappeared off to the other room where Sam sat down on the furthest bed from the door with a crunching sound.

In the other room, Lola and Maggie heard a loud cough and splutter from their previous room, followed by Dean's cry of:

"Hey! There's a sock in here!"

Lola banged her fist on the adjoining wall,

"HEY!" She yelled, "KEEP IT DOWN IN THERE YOU TWO CRAZY LOVEBIRDS!"

They then heard Dean mimicking her in a high-pitched voice, which only caused the two girls to burst out laughing,

"Awh…" Maggie drawled, "He thinks he's clever."

The two laughed again before falling into silence. The awkward quiet lasted several long minutes before Maggie finally sucked in a breath and spoke:

"Sooo…" She began, wringing her hands together, "What do your parents make of this whole hunting thing?"

"They're both dead." Lola answered matter-of-factly, "So I guess not a lot."

"Oh I'm sorry."

"Yeah well…it was a long time ago. I'm over it."

"Wow…I wish I could be as tough as you about my Mom."

"What happened to yours?"

"Dean shot her." Maggie stated simply,

"Ah. Yeah…he does that."

"Well that explains a lot…"

"Is that why you guys don't get on very well?"

"No…actually. He didn't like being told his father wasn't as perfect as he thought…and I didn't take too kindly to Dean basically calling my mother a slut."

Lola frowned, pulling her face back,

"Ouch." She mumbled, "Dean's had a tough time recently."

"Yeah…Freud would have a field day with him."

Lola giggled, smiling sadly as she sighed,

"I wish I could say that my parents died for a greater cause like your father did…or that they were taken and that I had something to fight for. Something to find. Something to blame. But I don't. There's no demon or spirit to hunt to make them pay."

"Are you all alone?" Maggie asked gently as she sat up, leaning her elbow on her knee, resting her face in her palm. Lola shook her head,

"Not in the world. No. I have a brother. Nate. He's Dean's age. We don't really see eye to eye on this whole hunting thing. He thinks it's a phase. He doesn't know that our grandparents died because of it, even if I told him. He wouldn't believe it. There have been a few hunters before Sam and Dean that I've been close to…though…none of them ever put a gun to my head." She remarked with a smirk,

"What is the deal with you two, seriously?" Maggie asked suddenly with a frown,

"There's nothing with us." Lola said, looking away, "Can't you tell we hate each other?"

"Uh…no." Maggie said seriously, "The way you looked at Dean in the hospital was not a look of hate. It was a look of fear of losing someone you care deeply about."

Lola scowled at Maggie,

"What's the deal with YOU and Dean? Some kind of dysfunctional family you've got going on there! As you two seem to be at one another's throats more than he and I are, I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself and let me get on with it. Dean and I are not…we're never…there is NOTHING there! He hates me."

"If he hated you…he wouldn't have run to your side when you collapsed earlier."

"Just drop it. Please." Lola implored, finally rolling over so that her back was to Maggie,

"You're wrong you know." Maggie pushed, "You're wrong." She repeated,

"You wanna know why he won't talk to me?!" She fumed, rolling back over, her face red, "He's furious with me because I brought you back to life! It was me that made you return and me alone."

"That sounds like Dean…" Maggie muttered,

"I meant," Lola began, "I sacrificed the rest of my life to bring you back to life! Dean is so angry that I gave my life to make him and Sam happy."

Maggie sat there, stunned,

"You gave your life for me?" She asked softly. Lola nodded slowly, "Why?"

"I have no one really. My parents are dead and my grandparents and aunt died because of me and my job. I loved a man once, but he's gone too and now the one possible person that I could actually, possibly fall for has a ticking clock and he lost someone close to him and I can't stand the thought of him resulting in a drunken mess and leaving Sam all alone just like me. I don't want Sam to live my life." She whispered, "And I don't want Dean to hurt either…"

"You really care about him, huh?"

"I care for them both." Lola answered simply, "But especially him…and besides…I like ya. We've got a lot in common. Both vying for the attention of an emotionally shallow man!"

The pair laughed together and finally the tension was broken,

"Thank you." Maggie said softly,

"Welcome." Lola replied as her eyes drifted shut.

Lola's eyes snapped open in the darkness. Rolling over, she peered at the blurry red digits of the clock beside her head,

"Two a.m." She breathed, pulling the covers and standing to pull on some jeans and a white hooded sweatshirt. She glanced over at Maggie who was sprawled across her bed on her front, one arm under the pillow, the other hanging over the bed. Lola smirked slightly, remembering that Dean slept in the exact same position.

Heading outside to the vending machines, Lola stretched and yawned as she padded across the car park towards the glowing light blue machine beside the reception booth. As she passed the Impala, she became eerily aware of being watched. She spun her head around, instinctively grabbing for her gun, hooked in her belt, only to discover Dean sitting stretched across the back seat, his brown leather jacket wrapped tightly around him as he shivered, staring directly at her. She raised an eyebrow, tapping the window with the tip of the gun's barrel, causing Dean to reluctantly crawl forwards to wind down the window. He leant his face out with an irritated frown as Lola leant her arms on the window ledge, smiling at him,

"Having fun?" She asked with a grin,

"Oh yeah…" He muttered,

"What're you doing in here? I thought that room was fine."

"Yeah…well…I think the previous occupant had lousy bladder control."

"And they kept their socks in the fridge."

"That too."

"It's freezing out here! Why don't you come and sleep with Maggie and me?"

"No thanks." Dean remarked dryly. Lola rolled her eyes and huffed,

"Hold on a sec…" She declared, holding up a finger before turning away and retreating back towards her room. Dean snorted, holding up his hands in a steering wheel motion, pretending to drive,

"Oh no, no no!" He muttered, "I'm on my way!" He added before hurriedly closing the window back up. He'd just slouched back into his original position when the opposite door was pulled open and all of a sudden Lola crawled along the back seat, grabbing his jean-clad knees and pulling hem apart she nestled herself between them, her back pressed up against his chest, pulling a thick, heavy woollen blanket over the pair of them,

"What…the hell are you doing?" He asked with one eyebrow raised,

"Keeping warm, silly. You'll freeze to death out here by yourself. This way we share body heat."

"I can think of a more fun way to keep warm." He remarked cheekily before Lola elbowed him roughly in the ribs. He chocked on his own laughter and catching his breath he wheezed, "Okay…maybe not."

"Damn strait."

"Well…could you at least, maybe move to the left a bit?"

Lola shifted as she was asked slightly and turned, glancing over her shoulder,

"Any better?"

Dean had an almost pained expression on his face,

"Not really…no…I hope you don't expect me to be able to sleep with you pressed up against me like this."

"Y'know…if you spent less time thinking about your sex drive and more about being nice to people, you'd have more friends."

"Hey! I have friends."

"Really? And? Who? Give me a list."

"Bobby." Dean said defensively, "Ellen…SAM!" He suddenly exclaimed loudly, causing Lola to jump,

"Sam's your brother. That doesn't count."

"Uh…I met a guy in a bar yesterday."

"Ugh…goodnight Dean."

"What's wrong?"

"I didn't hear my name on that list…and you wonder why you don't get on with Maggie."

"Oh don't start that again."

"What? She's your sister for crying out loud!"

"So she says…" Dean muttered under his breath, "Did you come in here just to nag?"

"Okay, fine. Go to sleep."

"Fine. I will. Move your elbow!"

"You move your elbow!" She snapped,

"Fine!" He growled, resting his arms around her comfortably, "Happy?"

"No. You're touching me."

"I have my arm on your leg! Your hair is in my face!" He whined before spluttering dramatically,

"God…no wonder you don't have a girlfriend…" She muttered, closing her eyes and making a point of nestling her head against his chest.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Later that morning, Maggie pulled her head from her pillow, squinting as the sunlight shined through the tattered curtains. She glanced over at Lola's bed, seeing it was empty, she sat up with a start, looking around the room in a panic. Getting dressed quickly, she rushed to the boys' room, stumbling down the hallways as she put her shoes on. She pounded loudly on the door, only for Sam to wearily answer it, his hair tousled over his eyes, in the sign of a bad night. He opened the door, pinching at the bridge of his nose in pain,

"What's going on?" He croaked, looking at Maggie with bleary eyes,

"It's Lola! She's gone! She's not in the room!"

Shocked by this statement, Sam turned to wake Dean, only to discover that he too was missing. He looked back at Maggie confused before silently grabbing a grey baseball jersey to pull over his creased white t-shirt, following her out into the foggy car park. Maggie started ranting on frantically, waving her arms about;

"Where could they be?! Lola could've collapsed again!" Her rambling was interrupted by Sam grabbing her chin in his hand and turning her face to look into the Impala, "Ah." She mumbled, giving Sam a sly smile. Sam carefully opened the driver's door, trying to make as little noise as possible as he reached his hand over to the steering wheel. Maggie plugged her ears as he pressed his palm down firmly on the horn. Lola sat bolt up right, the blanket pooling at her hips, her auburn curls swept around her head in a messy tangle, her sweeping fringe flopped across her face limply, covering one of her sleepy blue eyes, the other barely able to stay open, as she looked around in confusion to see Sam and Maggie laughing hysterically outside. She looked around at Dean who was still sleeping. Tentatively she shook his shoulder to wake him,

"Dean!" She hissed, shaking him harder,

"KELLY CLARKSON!" He cried as he awoke with a start,

"No. Sorry. Lola."

"Hm." Dean grunted before rubbing at his eyes and looking at her properly, "Damn…you're not a morning person…huh?"

"Morning love birds!" Sam called, "Get dressed. Let's hit the road!" He called before dragging Maggie away, Cheshire cat grins on their faces. Lola bolted out of the Impala, stumbling on the gravel as she did so, chasing after them,

"Hey! Nothing happened in there! I hope you realise. He was cold. That's all."

"Okay Lola…we believe you…" Maggie soothed, unconvincingly. Lola scowled, stomping passed them to beat Maggie to the shower,

"I'm gonna grab a shower!" She called as she reached the doorway,

"Yeah…I always do after a long night…" Sam called before he and Maggie burst out laughing together again. Lola's eyes narrowed,

"Sam…if you want children in the future, I suggest you shut the hell up."

"Ooh! Is that what you said to Dean last night? I always knew you would be in control…"

Lola re-emerged from her room, holding her gun out before her,

"SAM!" She snapped, "I swear to God…"

Sam held up his hands in surrender,

"Whoa…okay…okay…shutting up now!"

"Thank you."

The car was silent as it made it's way along the murky back road, Dean drove with one hand, the other occupied with stuffing a submarine sandwich into his mouth. Maggie sat behind him, almost a perfect mirror image with a burger. Lola and Sam exchanged frightened looks at the pair's similarity before Dean mumbled, a mouth-full of deli,

"What ARE you two looking at?" He asked, dropping some cold cuts of meat into his lap as he spoke. Maggie looked up, mid-bite, a slice of onion, hanging from her bottom lip. Sam shuddered, shaking his head as he looked down to his own sandwich, feeling slightly put off. Lola slung hers out of the open window, looking rather bewildered. Maggie extended her burger to the other girl with a sauce-stained grin,

"Want some?" She asked,

"No. Thank you." Lola replied icily as she shuffled awkwardly in her seat, away from the other three. Maggie polished off the last of her burger before thoughtfully blurting out,

"Does anyone else fancy some pie…?"

"OH MY GOD!" Sam cried dramatically, "If you two would just talk…" He breathed, shaking his head again,

"Pie?" Dean suddenly took notice,

"See!" Sam shot back,

"Uhm…can you just pull over…? Lola asked quietly,

"Why? You're not going to faint again, are you?"

"I think I might…" She muttered, "What with he smell of onions and processed meat…oh…and that bit of onion that's still hanging from Maggie's bottom lip."

The two men looked around to see Maggie sheepishly plucking the offending vegetable from her lip before popping it into her mouth,

"Sorry…" She mumbled as she chewed,

"So yeah…pull over and I'll hitch back to my truck, yeah?"

"No one's going anywhere." Sam remarked,

"Why the hell not?" Lola fumed,

"Yeah…if she wants to go…let her go…" Dean grumbled as he pulled into a petrol station and diner, "Obviously we're to common for princess Lola!" He muttered as he turned the engine off. Lola huffed, grabbing her bag that was at her feet and stormed out of the Impala, slamming the door behind her as she marched towards the diner. Sam quickly followed, leaving Dean to frown,

"SAMMY!" He yelled after his brother before he too climbed out of the car, jogging after the pair.

In the diner, Lola reached the pay phone, pulling a quarter out of the back pocket of her dark blue jeans, she lifted the handset only for Sam's large hand to place itself over hers, forcing the receiver back down again. She turned to hi with a scowl,

"What is your problem?" She asked, blowing hair out of her face, "This isn't like you Sam."

"Lola…" He began, "You have to stick with us." He said seriously,

"What? Why? I'm a big girl, y'know…your brother's made it more than clear that I'm not welcome. That I'm not as competent as he is!"

"SCREW DEAN!" Sam fumed. Lola was taken aback,

"Okay…now I know something's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong. I just don't think you should leave. I think you'd be good for Dean…you just need to get through to him! Let me talk to him."

"Sam. I'm going." She muttered, "Unless you can give me a real reason other than to bed your brother!"

"Lola…please…" He pleaded quietly,

"Leave me alone. Just…just go away!" She growled, drawing attention of several patrons of the café;. Sam noticed a few men were looking ready to move; obviously he was creating the impression of harassment. He grabbed Lola's arm tightly, leaning in to speak softly,

"I saw you die." He said quietly, staring into her eyes seriously,

"Everything okay, miss?" Asked a large trucker as he approached behind Sam menacingly. Lola swallowed hard, nodding,

"Yes thanks. Fine." She murmured as she moved for the door, nearly knocking Dean over as she did. Dean looked at Sam, his arms out-stretched in confusion before shaking his head and muttering;

"Women…"

"Not now Dean." Lola warned, her voice a low tone which in itself worried Dean.

"What's going on?"

"It's nothing."

"No screw that, you guys look like someone's just died!"

Lola looked at Sam, her eyes narrowed, begging him not to say anything.

"I had a vision last night." Sam began with a sigh. Lola turned away preparing herself for the ensuing game of twenty questions,

"About what?"

"Lollypops and candy canes. Let's go."

"Hang on a minute…a second ago, you didn't wanna come with us! What made you change your mind?"

"Forget about it…" She muttered, turning back to the Impala. Taking one step forwards, she staggered slightly, grabbing a hold of her head as she felt herself slipping backwards. Sam lunged forwards as Dean was facing the opposite direction, muttering to himself about Lola's stubbornness. Lola dropped against Sam's chest as Sam secured his arms around her,

"Dean! Get Maggie!" He called over his shoulder as her head lulled back against his arm. Dean turned with a frown, about to protest when he saw Lola draped in his brother's arms. He cursed and ran forwards, yelling;

"MAGGIE!"

Maggie emerged from the diner, holding a polystyrene box with a slice of cherry pie, plastic fork poised at her mouth. Upon seeing Lola in Sam's arms, she dropped her pie and ran over to the beside the car,

"Lay her flat." She instructed, "Unzip her sweater…you need to keep her airway clear…open her mouth!" She continued, scooping aside her hair as she placed her ear to Lola's mouth, watching her chest rise and fall, "Well she's breathing at least." She told them with a frown, "What happened?"

"She just went down again." Sam replied with a puzzled frown,

"Maggie, will you excuse us?" Dean asked seriously,

"Put her in the car and I'll watch her." Maggie agreed with a nod, knowing from Dean's tone of voice that something must be up.

With Lola sprawled along the back seat and Maggie watching her from the front passenger seat, Dean turned on Sam as they stood a few metres away in the dusty car park,

"C'mon dude…out with it. What did you see?"

"I don't know for sure…all I saw was Lola…dying."

"How? What happened?!"

"I don't know…all I know is that she was gone."

"Gone? Gone how?"

"As in dead…Dean…no longer breathing. She was lying there. Dead."

"Lying where? How can we stop it?"

"Maggie was trying to resuscitate her…but…she just…died."

"Are you sure she was dead?"

"Well I don't usually get visions about people sleeping!"

"Okay dude…" Dean mumbled, patting him on the shoulder, "Just keep your eyes open."

"Definitely."

"Guys! She's waking up!" Maggie called out of the open window. The duo trudged back to the Impala. Dean sat back in the drivers seat, turning and leaning over to look at Lola as she awoke, Sam leaning on the window beside Maggie. Lola shook her head slightly as she sat up,

"It happened again, didn't it?" She asked, seeing all their concerned faces,

"Uh…yeah…" Maggie admitted, "You're not pregnant are you Lola?"

Sam and Maggie looked at Dean who was completely oblivious at first, before feeling their gazes upon his face. He turned and dramatically held his hands up in defence,

"Don't look at me! She's shot down all my advances!"

Lola shook her head slowly,

"I don't think so…" She mumbled,

"You don't THINK?" Dean asked, shocked,

"No…I don't think I am…I shouldn't be..." She mumbled thoughtfully, "No. Definitely not."

"Are you sure? I can get you a test?" Maggie asked seriously,

"No Maggie. That's fine."

"Are you sure?!" Dean repeated frantically,

"I'm sure." She remarked icily, "Can we please get off of this subject and leave now? The spirit'll be gone by the time we get there."

"We can't be that far away now. Let's set up base at a motel and wait until dark falls to go have a look around."

"Base?" Dean and Sam asked in unison, "Base?" They repeated,

"Yes. Base." Maggie said indignantly as Sam wandered around to sit beside Lola in the back, leaving Maggie sitting awkwardly in the front passenger seat, "Keep an eye on Lola back there. She's in a delicate condition."

"I'll give you a delicate condition." Lola muttered, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly before looking over at Sam, "Did you really see me die?" She asked quietly. He nodded solemnly before smiling weakly at her,

"Don't worry. We won't let anything happen to you." He said, trying to convince himself as much as he was Lola. Lola was not convinced.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"We're sharing a room?" Lola asked as she dropped her bag down beside one of the two double beds,

"It was the only room the hotel had left." Maggie replied as she sat on the edge of the bed, "I'm sure Sam'll sleep on the sofa if you and Dean want this bed…or would you prefer the car again?" She asked with a smirk. Lola rolled her eyes as the two in question appeared. They stopped and looked at the two double beds with weary looks,

"This is going to be interesting…" Dean muttered as he dropped face first onto the other bed, "Sammy…couch is over there. You girls are alright sharing that bed, right?" He asked, not really listening to any answer that was given to him. Lola walked over to the window, swinging her arms back and forth idly as she did so,

"If you were REAL gentlemen…you'd both sleep in the car and let Maggie and me have a bed each."

"I'm not spending another night in that car…and besides…Sam's not s cuddly as you were." Dean shot back with a grin. Lola simply retaliated by sitting on his back,

"C'mon guys! We've got work to do! Save your flirting for later! I for one don't think we should go on a hunt on an empty stomach and there's a slice of cherry pie down stairs with my name on it."

"Just so long as we don't have burgers or deli sandwiches."

"Would you prefer caviar?" Dean remarked from beneath her,

"Now, now children…" Maggie teased, "If you don't behave, you won't get a Happy Meal toy."

Lola stood up with a great amount of effort, forcing all of her weight onto his ribs. Dean let out a loud, muffled groan as she did so, knocking the wind out of him,

"Awh Dean…I took your breath away…" She beamed,

"For the love of God," Maggie began, "Either shut up or get a room. We could ask if the Honeymoon suite's available."

"Whatever." Lola muttered as she walked out of the room towards the stairs.

Sam picked up the green duffle bag of ammo, closing the door behind him before joining the others in the car,

"Ready?" Dean asked as he started the engine, causing AC/DC to blare out from the four speakers around the car,

"My head…" Lola groaned, "Is this the trash you listen to?"

"I'm sorry princess…would you prefer Swan Lake?"

"Swan Lake's a ballet. Idiot. Oh dear Lord…they're cassette tapes…I never realised you're still stuck in the eighties. You are aware they ended almost twenty years ago, right?"

"That's what I said…" Sam mused a loud,

"Oh for the love of God, drive!!" Maggie exclaimed, "We'll never get out of here otherwise!"

Like most hospitals of the time, St. Edmunds was built set away from the main town, in this case, a top of a small hill, a winding road, littered with dead leaves and a frosting of snow, lead up from the open rusted gates at the foot of the hill. Overgrown trees lined the road, throwing it into complete darkness, savour for the Impala's powerful headlights. As the hospital loomed into view before them, the foursome felt uneasy at the sight of the shattered windows and tattered net curtains drifting in the cold night air. Boards that had once covered all doors and windows were scattered about the entrance, carpeting the gravel with the musty smell of time. Sam grabbed a flashlight, shining it up at the dishevelled double doors, barely hanging onto the hinges, that sat ominously wide open; it's once crisp white paint, chipping in such a way that it almost looked like it was melting. Lola stood beside him, shining her flashlight in the same direction. They exchanged looks before simultaneously stepping forwards,

"We'll take upstairs." Sam called over his shoulder, "You guys take the ground floor and the basement." He added, tossing his flashlight to Maggie, who almost dropped it, not expecting to have it hurled at her without warning. Dean rolled his eyes before commenting:

"Who gives the orders around here then?"

"Have fun!" Sam called as he and Lola disappeared into the hospital. Dean muttered something incomprehensible under his breath as he grabbed his shotgun,

"Come on then. Let's get this over and done with."

After walking in silence and darkness for a few awkward minutes Dean finally broke the silence,

"I've got to ask…how did you know what to do when Lola collapsed?"

"When Mom went into the hospital…I worked there for the while. Needed the money. So I had a crash course in nursing while I was there. It never really came in handy until now."

"Ahh. Cool."

"Oh, so you do approve then?" She mumbled,

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No, seriously, what?" Dean snapped,

"I think it's pretty funny how you only seem to want to talk to me when it's of use to you."

"Well if that's the way you feel then I just won't talk at all."

"Why ruin a habit of a lifetime?" She remarked, bitterly, "Mom said that Dad was like that."

"DON'T talk about him. You don't know him so don't even try!"

"Oh I'm sorry, you don't like me calling him Dad do you? Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad…"

Dean whirled around, raising his fist,

"Shut up! Or I swear to God Maggie…"

"What're you gonna do Dean? Hit me? Hit me like you did Lola? Wouldn't you rather put a gun to my head?"

"You're impossible!" He growled, storming off into the darkness. Maggie dropped her head with sigh. As she raised her head she was startled to meet the cold, black-eyed gaze of unfamiliar eyes. She let out a scream, as staring back at her was a little girl in traditional Victorian garb of dress and pinafore, her pale, vein-streaked face tilted eerily to the side without her eyes changing expression, her lips blue and cracked, parted slightly,

"DEAN!" She cried out, as the little girl's nose was less than an inch from hers. Dean came running back, wielding his shotgun,

"What?" He asked,

"Can't you see her?" Maggie squeaked in fear,

"See what?"

"Her! Right there! Right in front of me!"

"Maggie. There's no one there."

Maggie blinked and she was gone. She looked at Dean, who was staring back at her like she was a complete idiot,

"Come on! They've probably covered the whole floor upstairs by now!"

Shakily, Maggie followed Dean, unable to shake the feeling that she was being followed.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"I'm sorry about before…about teasing you, I mean." Sam said softly as he and Lola walked side by side down a corridor, "It's not often we get to laugh anymore."

Lola smiled weakly,

"Yes…well…the ticking clock kind of puts a dampener on things."

"Oh…you know about that then."

"Yeah…Meg told me."

"Ah. Does Dean know that you know?"

"Yes. He knows…" She mumbled sadly, "I guess once you know that you're both going to die soon, you kind of don't have time for romance." She sighed as she accidentally dropped her flashlight. Leaning down to pick it up, she glanced to her left and jumped to see a small figure watching her through a doorway. Lola shined her light in the direction of the figure but it had disappeared. She looked ahead to Sam only to meet with the gaze that had previously been watching her. Cold black eyes surrounded by harsh white skin,

"Help me…" The whispered words echoed around Lola's head as the girl's lips failed to move. Lola shakily reached out her hand to touch the girls face only to have Sam walk through the apparition, looking down at her puzzled,

"You okay?" He asked,

"SAM" She scolded, stunned that he didn't know better, "Why'd you walk through her?"

"Who?"

"The little girl."

"What little girl?"

"The little girl that was just standing there!"

"Lola…there's was no one there. Are you feeling faint again?"

"No Sam. I'm fine and I'm not insane either. I saw her standing there right in front of me. She said help me."

"I didn't see anyone there Lola."

"She was there." Lola demanded as she stood and continued walking, "I saw her." She mumbled, now beginning to doubt herself as she followed Sam through a doorway into a small, square room. It had once been an office, though was now covered in thick grey dust. Shining her flashlight Lola looked along the walls, at plaques and awards hanging lopsidedly, "I wonder what happened here to make everyone pack up and leave without all this stuff…"

"They were being investigated by the local health authority." Sam answered as he stood beside her, looking also at the frames on the wall, "This hospital was built in 1880 and was used as a children's hospital until 1959 when it was abandoned and condemned."

"You mean it's sat here for almost fifty years, just rotting away?"

"Yeah…every time someone tries to develop it, something goes wrong and it ends up remaining untouched."

"Freaky…hey look…" She murmured, darting forwards to a large frame that sat wonkily on a shelf. She grabbed it, blowing at the dust on the glass to see the grainy sepia faces that stared back expressionlessly, "…that's her…" Lola whispered, pointing at a little girl on the end of the first row of children, "That's the girl I saw."

"You must've seen one of the spirits that's haunting this place."

"Do you know what they did with the bodies?"

"Of that time, there was a high mortality rate. It's highly probably they were mostly orphans and had no family. They were probably cremated." He mused, still disbelieving Lola had seen anything, "Maybe you saw this photo before and she stuck in your mind." He reasoned, looking at the little girl with long, dark hair, "There should be a log book or something around here that would tell you who she was and where she was buried, if she was."

"Then let's find it." Lola said sternly, clutching the photograph close to her chest as she moved back towards the desk, "Sam…" She began carefully, "What was on this land before?"

"Uhm…I don't know…it would've been the nineteenth century…possibly farm land?"

"What about a mill?" She asked, holding up an old illustration of a flourmill. Sam looked at it and nodded shortly,

"It certainly looks like it, doesn't it."

"We should look into that when we get back."

Meanwhile downstairs, Dean and Maggie were making their way down the dusty hallway, past small rooms, some with doors falling off their hinges and others with the doors completely missing. Maggie looked down at her feet kicking up the dust as she walked along.

"So…Lola tells me that you were really upset after I died." Maggie commented. Dean simply looked on down the corridor, shining his flashlight in and out of the empty rooms.

"Why is it that you cant seem to show any emotion when I'm alive?"

"I was drunk". Dean answered bluntly.

"Oh great, so it wasn't even real emotion."

"Well I can't see how I can be expected to show emotion for someone I don't even know."

"And who's fault is that?" Maggie replied, her voice slightly raised in protest. "When are you going to stop being such a stubborn asshole and accept the fact that I'm your sister?!"

"Because you're not, you're a mistake!"

Maggie slapped her hand clean across Dean's face, leaving a red handprint on his cheek.

"You son of a bitch." Maggie breathed her eyes piercing at Dean as he rubbed his jaw with his fingertips.

"You know, you're so quick to defend the great Winchester family, but what you don't realise is that there is no family…it's just Sam and Dean." Maggie continued, holding her hands up dramatically.

"But pretty soon it's just going to be Sam, on his own…when you're gone I'm all he's got."

"No you're not!" Dean barked. "He's my responsibility, it's my job to keep him safe…he's my brother!"

"And he's mine too!" Maggie fought back, her face an inch away from Dean's.

"Hey…hey…hey!" Lola intervened, as she and Sam came down the winding stairway, that Dean and Maggie and stopped in front of amidst their bitter argument.

"What the hell happened?" She asked, moving round beside Maggie, looking at her then at Dean with a frown.

"What happened is she came crashing into our lives." Dean spat, pointing at Maggie viciously. Maggie lunged forward for Dean, but Lola quickly held her back. Dean too moved forward but Sam stepped in, blocking his path. Dean looked at Sam, his eyes wide with anger.

"Outside…now." Sam ordered, his voice quiet but stern.

Lola had an arm wrapped around Maggie's shoulders soothingly as they escorted the hotheaded siblings away from one another,

"I'm not even going to ask what all that was about."

"Eh."

"Come on…there's something I have to show you." Lola said sternly, pulling on Maggie's hand and leading her up the stairs to the office she'd found with Sam.

Dean stormed out of the hospital and towards the Impala, kicking up a huge cloud of dust angrily as he did so. He whirled around, throwing his arms around in the air, growling loudly,

"Damn her!" He sneered, looking at Sam, his nostrils flared, "I mean…she's even got Lola on her side now! It's like they're the best of friends!"

"Maybe because she knows what it feels like to have you push her away." Sam said seriously, crossing his arms over his chest,

"Not you as well! How come your so on board with this Maggie thing, anyway?"

"Because since Maggie's come along things have been happier for once."

"Oh, I'm sorry I put a damper on your life. Don't worry. I won't be around for much longer!"

"Dean…don't be a jerk…you might treat the girls like that but you're not going to talk to me like that! I've been through as much as you have! Don't you think it's time to move on? We're never going to make it alone and Maggie's been through just as much as we have. I mean, jeeze, she's younger than you and she's handling it better than you!"

"What is this place?" Maggie asked, coughing slightly at the dusty, narrow room,

"I saw this girl earlier." Lola said, thrusting the picture and it's frame beneath Maggie's nose. Maggie froze,

"That girl. There. On the end."

"Yes."

"…me too."

"Okay…" Lola began carefully, "Did Dean see it?"

"No."

"Neither did Sam…maybe she just wants us to help. She said help me to me…maybe she wants us to lay her spirit to rest?"

Maggie nodded slowly,

"What do you think happened to her? Happened to them all?"

"Sam said that this was a children's hospital that they closed down because they were doing weird experiments for decades on the children here."

Maggie shuddered,

"Creepy." She breathed before noticing Lola was stood still, "What's wrong?" She asked with a frown, "Oh…" She trailed off as she saw the little girl from before standing in the doorway watching the pair. Lola jumped as she suddenly moved forwards, so that she stood right before the pair of them,

"Bad man…" She whispered her large black eyes wobbling with emotion, "Save us from the bad man…the bad man and his dark room of screaming."

Lola's eyes widened before nodding,

"We'll help you! What's your name?"

"Katie…please help us." She whimpered before her head whipped around. After a few seconds she turned her face back to Lola who was leaning her face down close to Katie's, "He's coming…" She whispered, "You'll come back?"

"Of course." Maggie said seriously as Lola's vision blurred slightly. She blinked and shook her head only to see Katie disappear into thin air, phasing out like a hologram. The two women dashed out onto the hallway, Maggie clutching onto the frame, Lola the logbook that Sam had found earlier,

"The sun's coming up…" Lola mumbled as she looked out of the dirt-encrusted window, "She must've died at dawn…for her to disappear like that…" She continued, instinctively placing her hand to her forehead as she sighed. Maggie looked at her and frowned as she rested her hand with the book on the shaky wooden railings,

"Are you okay?" Maggie asked carefully,

"Yeah…I think so…" Lola replied as the book slipped from her grasp, falling down the centre of the stairwell, hitting the ground floor two stories below with a sickening thud. Woozily she moved to lean her weight on the banister. Just as her hand grabbed a hold of the wooden beams, Maggie noticed a huge crack down the centre of the support system,

"LOLA!" She cried in shock as Lola's strength gave out and she dropped her full weight onto the railings, the rotten wood crumbling beneath her as she did, sending her plummeting after the book. Maggie scrambled for the edge but was too late to grab a hold of her.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

A few minutes before hand, Sam and Dean re-entered the hospital,

"Where did they go…?" Sam mused, looking around, "The sun's coming up. It's unlikely we'll find anything until tonight."

Dean didn't answer as the two wondered towards the stairwell,

"Perhaps they went back stairs." Sam continued as a heavy thud sounded between the two of them. Dean bent down with a frown, picking up the logbook that lay at their feet. Sam looked up with a frown and cursed loudly as he saw the tumbling form of Lola. Extending his arms out, he cringed and braced himself for the impact as he gabbed a hold of her as she dropped into his arms. The force of her fall knocked the pair of them backwards, sending Sam landing flat on his back, Lola's limp body draped across his. He coughed, winded from the force of the hard floor as Maggie came running down the stairs in a panic, stumbling and skipping steps in her rush,

"Oh thank God…" Maggie breathed, "Sam, is she okay?"

"I don't know…" He wheezed, "Get her up…I can't breathe…"

Dean rushed over, pulled Lola off of Sam and hoisted her up into his arms, her legs hanging down one side, her head the other. Maggie felt for a pulse as Sam stood, dusting himself off,

"She's alive."

"What the hell were you two doing up there?" Dean asked, scowling,

"I threw her off."

"…" Dean stared at her in disbelief,

"I was joking, Dean. She just...collapsed! Again!"

"This is ridiculous." Dean snorted as he stalked out of the hospital, Lola still draped in his arms, "Let's get back to the hotel."

Later that evening, back at the hotel…

"Your lucky this time…it's only a sprain…" Maggie said softly as she wrapped a white bandage around Lola's left wrist, "I'll put a bandage around it anyway though…to keep it supported."

Lola nodded wearily, rubbing at her eyes,

"I don't think you should go back. Let Dean and me take care of it." Sam said as he watched Lola begin flicking through the logbook, continuously glancing back at the photograph for clues to the little girl's identity,

"I'm fine Sam."

"You're obviously not!" Dean cut in grumpily, "You're passing out every two minutes and quite frankly, you're compromising the job and our safety."

"Don't be such a chauvinist pig…"

"How am I being chauvinist?" He growled, standing up and marching towards her, finger out-stretched, "You're not fit enough to be on a hunt. End of. I would expect you to do the same to me."

"Yes…because you listen to what other people have to say. All the time." Lola snapped, standing face-to-face with him so that they stared one another down,

"Lola…I think he's right…" Sam said softly as he stood beside the pair of them. Lola felt dwarfed by the two of them as they stood over her. Lola laughed bitterly,

"You asked me to come and now you're shutting me out?"

"We're not shutting you out. We're worried about you."

"And ourselves." Dean muttered,

"Of course you are." Maggie added,

"Stay out of this for once!" Dean yelled at Maggie,

"Hey! Don't take this out on her!" Lola scolded,

"Why not? It's her fault you fell! If she'd of caught you then you wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Do you want another slap?" Maggie asked,

"You know what?" Lola asked, "Forget the pair of you." She sneered, "I've been doing this by myself for years now. I can do this without you."

"Fine! Do that then!" Dean snapped,

"Lola…" Sam tried to reason as the auburn-haired hunter grabbed her bag, stuffing the photo and book in it, "Lola please…" Sam added,

"No Sam! I'm sick of the almighty Winchester brothers thinking they know better all the damn time. Leave me the hell alone!" She growled, storming out. Maggie looked between the pair of them in silence for a few seconds before shaking her head,

"Well that was nicely done!" She snapped, chasing after the other girl,

"GOOD LUCK GETTING THERE WITHOUT YOUR TRUCK!" Dean yelled after the pair of them before he heard the low rumble of the Impala's engine starting up. His eyes widened as he made a dash for the door, heading to the courtyard outside where he'd left car parked, feeling his jacket pockets for the keys. He arrived in time to see the back of his precious car as it sped out of the car park and down the road, spitting gravel at him as it did so. "Damn it!" He growled as Sam caught up, "Get your legs out Sammy boy…we're hitching…" He huffed.

Lola turned to look at Maggie as they drove in the fading light,

"Why'd you come?" She asked with a small smile,

"And let you go alone? Pfft! I'm not like my brothers."

"You're more like Dean than you think."

"Oh great…so I'm obnoxious and rude…"

"Your eating habits especially."

"So I eat like a slob?"

"Basically…yeah…" Lola nodded as she grinned at Maggie, "Thanks for coming."

"No problem." Maggie beamed, flicking through the logbook to a page that Lola had earmarked, "Us girls should stick together."

"Definitely."

"Do you think this is her…?" Maggie asked quietly as she came to the page, looking sadly at the writing,

"It's the right time and she's about the right age."

"If six is the right age to die…it's horrible what they did to them there…if it's true what Sam said."

"It's sick…those poor children…" Lola whispered hoarsely as they pulled into the twisting road of the hospital.

As the two made their way through the dark dampness of the hospital,

"They must be drawn to an object…something that's keeping them here if they were all cremated."

"Didn't she say the bad man was coming for her? Maybe he's keeping her here."

"No…that's not likely…thee must be an object…or…" Lola trailed off, looking down at the photograph in Maggie's hand, "The photograph…" She breathed before a startling bang disturbed the eeriness. They turned to see that the door to the room they'd just entered,

"Where are we?" Maggie asked quietly as Lola shined her light around the large room. On either side of the room, there was a lining of shaky metal beds covered in dust, steel medical trays scattered amongst mouldy sheets and debris on the floor,

"They must've kept them in here." Lola said to Maggie as she walked slowly down the centre of the room, shining her light around, "This is really disturbing…" She whispered before dropping her flashlight as she grabbed her head,

"Lola…" Maggie yelped as she rushed over, helping her to sit down on the ground. As she felt the other girl go limp she noticed a dark circle on the palm of her hand. She looked at it quickly, noting it filled with intricate scribbling. She frowned as a cold gust of wind blew from in front and as she looked up she gasped to see a figure of light floating above them. Maggie froze in terror as the figure moved it's hand to gently stroke Lola's hair, "What're you doing to her?" She managed to stammer as the figure kept its hand a top of Lola's head, causing her to whimper slightly in her unconsciousness. The figure ignored Maggie's shouts until the room suddenly went very cold, almost freezing. Maggie shivered, wrapping her arms tightly around Lola's body. The figure seemed to pull its hand back, looking around before darting off into the darkness. Maggie buried her face into Lola's hair as she stirred with a groan,

"What's going on…" Lola whispered, feeling the coldness of the room,

"I have no idea…" Maggie replied looking up and coming face to face with Katie. Maggie forced a reassuring smile, "It's okay…we're here…we won't let the bad man get you."

Katie broke out into a smirk,

"But the bad man makes the pain go away…" She said softly before reaching out bother hands, one over Lola's heart, the other around Maggie's throat,

"What're you doing?" Maggie croaked as she struggled to free herself, kicking her feet but Katie's grip only grew tighter,

"What are you?"

A loud, cackling laugh echoed around the room as Maggie began to feel woozy from the lack of oxygen. Lola let out a whimper before rolling off of Maggie's knees and onto the floor motionless. Just as darkness began to seep in from all sides of her vision, a loud bang broke the laugh and Maggie coughed hard as she could suddenly breathed, salt stinging her eyes. She looked to the doorway where Sam and Dean had managed to crash their way through,

"The photograph!" Maggie yelled, "Destroy it!" She added as she crawled to Lola's side, lifting her arm over her shoulders and attempting to stand with her. Sam lit a match as Dean covered the photograph and logbook with lighter fluid and salt. He dropped the match and the two items were engulfed in orange flame,

"Let's get out of here." Sam said as he took Lola's other arm and helped Maggie carry her out,

"The place might burn down," Maggie said with a frown,

"Sounds like a plan." Dean replied, looking into the flames with graveness to his face.

Sam paced the hotel room floor, his eyes flicking to Lola every few seconds as he did so,

"Why isn't she waking up?" He panicked, "Every other time she's woken up pretty fast. What's going on?"

"I don't know Sam! I don't have all the answers!" Maggie snapped as she sat on the opposite bed to Lola. Dean, who'd been sitting on the edge of Lola's bed, idly stroking his fingers up and down her arm suddenly spoke up,

"Maybe it's got something to do with this." He said seriously, holding out Lola's hand, palm up, showing Sam the strange black mark that Maggie had seen earlier. Sam froze before rushing over to peer at her hand carefully,

"I've seen that somewhere before!" He said as he rushed to get their father's diary. He turned page after page until reaching what the others assumed was what he was looking for. As his eyes scanned the text, his face fell,

"What?" Dean asked, "What is it?"

Sam swallowed hard, extending the book, pages up to his brother,

"It's the sign of a reaper." He said seriously,

"But I thought reapers worked fast?"

"Not all of them, particularly if the victim has a higher debt to be paid. It puts a mark on them and drains the life slowly. It's where the whole pirate's black spot lore originated from."

"What can we do?" Dean asked without hesitation.

Sam stared at his brother, feeling physically sick at the words he was about to say,

"Dean you know there's no way to stop a reaper." He said softly as he tilted his head to one side in sadness. Dean stood snatching the leather bound journal from Sam's grasp.

"No, we've done it before." He said adamantly, flicking frantically through the pages.

"This is different and you know it."

Lola's moan broke the tension as she rolled her head from side to side, rubbing at her neck. Dean dropped the book on the end of the bed and leaned in to Lola's side.

"Are you okay?" He asked, helping her sit up.

"I think so." Lola answered wearily as she put her right hand up to her forehead. As she moved her hand down from her face she noticed the black mark staining the middle of her palm. "What the hell is that?"

"We think…we know it's the mark of a reaper." Sam replied mater-of-factly. Lola looked at Dean, a puzzled look on her face.

"Its to do with the deal you made for me." Maggie interjected, her eyes filling with tears as she pulled herself from the bed opposite. "Looks like Dean was right after all, this is my fault."

"No it isn't." Lola replied firmly. "I've got a lot of debt to pay."

Awkward looks were exchanged between the foursome as a silence filled the motel room.

"So what can we do?" Lola continued, trying desperately to hide the fear that was creeping up from the pit of her stomach.

"Apparently nothing." Dean answered bluntly, anger echoing in his tone.

At that moment Maggie turned from the door, wiping the tears from her face. "Actually I think there is something we can do."

Sam and Dean looked back at their sister, a look of surprise on their faces.

"The reaper is not going to stop until Lola is dead right…so lets give him what he wants." She continued her hands held out as if to say the answer to their problem was obvious.

"That's your plan…kill Lola?" Dean replied, with a frown on his face.

"No…just make it seem that she is…there is a drug that we can give her that will slow the heart rate right down to the point that it stops."

Sam looked back with intrigue. Dean on the other hand was not so convinced.

"Then after a few minutes, give her a shot of adrenaline to bring her back."

Lola shook her head, almost in defeat, "Maggie, as much as appreciate your help, even if this plan did work, where are you going to get all those drugs from?"

"Hospital". She answered simply.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Maggie walked confidently walked up to the reception desk of the local health centre. She held up her nurses ID card for the middle-aged nurse to see. "I've been sent by St Josephs hospital to fill the position in you're psych ward." She informed the nurse who merely glanced at the photo badge and waved Maggie away, returning to her cream filled pastry.

A few minutes later she emerged from a staff room, sporting green scrubs and a key card around her neck. She walked down to the hallway, following the signs toward the pharmacy. Maggie stopped short of the room full of patients waiting for their medication and ducked into a storeroom filled with plastic cabinets, pilled high with drugs, syringes and resuscitation kits. She pulled a white cloth bag she had retrieved from a laundry cart, then filled it with two syringes, two vials of adrenaline and one more of the death inducing drug.

Sam was just about to read a lads magazine he spotted under the drivers seat, when Maggie dove into the car, breathless.

"Did you get it?" He enquired, quickly tossing the magazine on the back seat.

"Yeah lets go." And with that, the Impala pulled away and off down the street.

Lola was growing weaker by the minute as she lounged a top of the bed, watching Dean as he sat on a chair by her side, his elbows propped o the edges of the mattress, his hands cupped across his forehead, his eyes closed, face pointing down to his shoes. She smiled ever so slightly, reaching out a hand and gently touching his arm. He looked up, rubbing at his eyes as he did, the usually sparkling green orbs dulled with fatigue and worry, the whites bloodshot as he struggled to hold his emotions back. He looked her in the eyes and forced a weak smile,

"What do you think it feels like to die?" She asked quietly. He shifted awkwardly,

"I don't know." He mumbled, "Don't think about it. You're not going to die."

"Dean…be realistic…my time's up."

"No. Do you honestly think that I'd let you go that easily?" He asked, smiling a little more convincingly now. She smirked back,

"Probably not. We have so many arguments left to have." She joked before falling into a comfortable silence again, "Seriously though…if…when I do go," She began, continuing quickly before Dean could interrupt, "promise me something?"

"You're not going, but I'll humour you."

"Tell my brother."

"Your brother?" Dean asked with a frown,

"Nate. He lives in Michigan. His address is in the glove compartment of my truck. Just…find a way of telling him, please?"

Dean nodded once. It was a short, sharp nod that signalled that he wanted to end this conversation topic now,

"I will." He answered softly,

"Thank you." She said before letting her eyes drift closed to little slits, "I'm so sleepy…" She mumbled, "I feel…really lethargic."

"Stay awake." Dean said seriously, "Stay awake until Maggie and Sam get back, okay?"

"I hate to sound dramatic…but I don't think I can."

"This isn't you. You're a fighter damn it! Start acting like the Lola that I l…know."

Lola smirked,

"I think that Lola's already gone to sleep." She joked, "Don't forget your promise, Dean."

"Damn it Lola!" Dean yelled, standing up suddenly, causing the chair to fall backwards, "LOLA!" He yelled again, "Wake up!" He instructed.

Just at that moment Maggie and Sam blew in from the cold car park. Still dressed in her scrubs Maggie headed strait for the table, emptying the contents of the canvas bag.

She glanced over at Lola, then at Dean, his eyes drawn and bloodshot. "How's she doing?"

"Not good." Dean answered keeping his eyes on Lola.

Maggie pierced the film lid of one of the vials with the sharp needle of the syringe. Walking over to Lola's bedside, she flicked out the air bubbles in the plastic cylinder.

"Dean, could you squeeze her arm, I want to make sure I get the needle in right." Maggie instructed as she sat on the edge of the bed.

He sat at he top of the bed. Resting Lola's head on his knees; he wrapped his hand around her upper arm, squeezing tightly.

Maggie pushed in the round of the clear liquid. "Okay, it's going to take a few minutes to take effect." The trio looked at their watches, counting the seconds that seemed like hours.

After a few tense moments, Maggie returned to the table and prepared another two syringes, these ones containing adrenaline. It was time to bring Lola back.

She injected the needle into the pale arm that was still within Dean's grasp.

Ushering him to stand aside, he moved over and stood at the end of the bed. Maggie tilted Lola's head back, pinching her nose and exhaled five breaths into her lungs.

She looked up, waiting for Lola's chest to fall, then moved to her side, placing two enter twined hands on the ribcage, Maggie began to push down repeatedly.

Dean moved a step closer the fear of loosing Lola growing even more intense and real. Sam held a hand to his face, biting on his thumb in hesitation.

"Come on". Maggie breathed, her arms growing tired and weak.

"It's not working". Dean stated.

"Sam, take over." Maggie instructed breathlessly. He did so, imitating his sister's movement. The exhausted former nurse grabbed the last syringe from the table and pushed in another shot of adrenaline. Replacing her hands above Lola's chest she resumed compressions. Still no change.

"Damn it Lola breath!" Dean begged, now knelt down at her bedside, clutching her hand in his.

"Come on!" Maggie cried as she held compressions. She lifted a fist up and brought it down on Lola's chest with great force. Sam cringed as her pale body jerked with the strike.

She hit again and a third time, tears filling in her eyes. A sick feeling of dread and guilt welling up inside. This was her idea; if Lola died it would be her fault.

Maggie raised her hand a fourth time and hit at Lola's chest with full force, cursing with frustration.

With a thud of Maggie's fist and a jerk; Lola took a sharp intake of breath, coughing as she tried to catch it. Maggie sat back, closing her eyes in relief. Sam put his hands on her shoulders, his face a mixture of disbelief and joy. Dean pulled Lola into his embrace, gently kissing the top of her head as she lay back in his arms. He looked up at Maggie giving a smile and a nod in thanks.

With a low rumble of it's classic engine, the Impala rolled up alongside of Lola's truck, which surprisingly was still in one piece. The foursome sat in an awkward silence as they stared at the black vehicle before them. It marked an end of an era and each one of them knew it as Lola grabbed her bag with her right hand and smiled at the others,

"Thanks for everything guys…" She beamed as she popped open the door, stepping one foot out, "It's been…well…not fun, but it's been…interesting." She added, "See you around."

"Bye Lola." Maggie said with a sad little wave, "Take care."

"You too. Bye Sam. Dean." She murmured, letting the door swing shut behind her as she trudged back towards her truck. The trio now sat in silence watching as she lifted the bonnet of her truck, fiddling for a few minutes before slamming it shut, looking triumphant,

"Dude…if you've been waiting for the right moment, this is it." Sam said to Dean without turning his head. Dean paused for a few seconds before opening the car door and stepping out,

"Dean…" Maggie called. Dean, who was halfway out of the car, dropped back into his seat and turned his head to regard her in the back seat,

"Speak from your heart…for once."

Dean nodded quickly,

"Got it." He said before climbing out of the car and jogging a little towards the truck. Maggie moved forwards as she and Sam watched as Dean touched Lola's arm gently, making her turn around and look up at him with a little smile. They watched as he chatted away, throwing his arms around as he did, explaining his point while she stood there, watching him attentively. All of a sudden, he leant down, pressing his lips to hers. Sam turned to Maggie and exchanged sly but satisfied smiles as they turned back, the pair were still thoroughly engrossed with one another,

"Does this mean we'll be seeing a new and slightly less uptight Dean?" Maggie asked,

"I wouldn't hold your breath," Sam replied with a cheeky grin.


End file.
